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Ophrys bombyliflora. Ophrys bombyx. Bumble bee orchid Small Ophrys in terms of the size of the plant and flowers. Mediterranean distribution and quite rare presence in continental France. It is more easily found in Corsica. Easily recognizable with its rounded appearance and its sepals appearing very large compared to the labellum. Click on the photos to enlarge

Présentation et démarche du site internet Orchidée-photo.com Approach Space dedicated to enthusiasts of wild orchids in France: The texts and photos on this site do not claim to be scientific or artistic but aim to help better understand the nature around us, which we often know little about. All photos are taken by the author of these lines, and engravings are borrowed from old, public domain works. The photos can be viewed, and I can provide free files upon request if you indicate their intended use. The first tabs showcase orchids found in France, but they are not endemic and can also be found in other European countries. Some of the illustrative photos come from other countries (Italy, Switzerland, etc.). A final tab presents orchids encountered only outside of France. If you have arrived at this space, you are probably aware that our countryside (and sometimes our cities) host wild orchids. Often so discreet that one can pass by them without noticing, the discovery of a single individual can leave us puzzled when trying to identify the species. It is better to find a colony (a group of several individuals) to confirm an identification. In France, many orchid species grow to 10 to 15 cm in height, with flowers smaller than a centimeter, making them easy to overlook. We simply admire them, sometimes photograph them, but never pick them, as most are rare and fragile. Flowers in vases or herbariums are outdated! And if they happen to appear in our gardens, it will be on their initiative. There's no point in attempting transplantation; it will fail in nearly all cases. For an orchid to grow and thrive, it requires a specific combination of terrain, light, and humidity. Above all, the familiar pollinating insects of the species must be present. These conditions are rare... and almost never where we would like them to be. To know them, to name them, is also to love them. I hope to share my passion with you or exchange with you because your passion is just as valuable as mine! A contact form is available. The views are introduced with a short text about the species, its biotope, and a few distinguishing features for identification. This is not intended to replace more detailed guides, but in these books, the iconographic base is often limited to one or two images, which only partially match your observations. The great variability of orchids cannot be summarized with so few photos, and I have often found myself frustrated with this "scarcity." The goal here is to illustrate each species with a broad photographic base, representing both the typical species and many variants. Please do not hesitate to point out any errors regarding the illustrations or the species they belong to, or any other necessary corrections. Identifying orchids is not a competition to check off the greatest number of species. You may sometimes meet enthusiasts who swear they have seen all the species that are still left for you to discover or confidently claim that certain species, reputed to be rare, are actually common. Let this not discourage you in your quest, and remain humble in front of a tricky species: it is often a variety of the most common species or a dilemma that will not have an absolutely certain solution. Around 70 orchid species will be presented, as well as a few subspecies commonly encountered: almost all of the most common ones. Of the approximately 160 species (species + subspecies) in our territory, this will represent the majority or all of the discoveries you could make during a few regional walks or over a season. The other species are either rare to very rare, some regional and highly localized (and some are still absent from my inventory, which certainly gets richer every year but remains partial due to the need to visit many regions). For others, they will be impossible to identify without the help of specialists. You may encounter helpful people in the field or through online contacts, but for identification assistance, some individuals who are very vocal about their numerous or exceptional discoveries will strangely remain silent about yours. The descriptions are basic but, I hope, understandable and sufficient. I have stuck to simple language to be accessible without a glossary, even at the risk of lacking scientific rigor, which some may criticize: this is intentional. Orchids love to deceive, so don't be surprised if you occasionally encounter one outside its normal biotope, in a region where it is not supposed to thrive, growing at an unrecorded altitude, or blooming outside its usual flowering period!

Découvrez les associations orchidophiles actives. French Society of Orchidophilia. French Federation of Orchid Lovers. Founded in 1969 and with 1,500 members and many more in regional associations, the SFO is the benchmark for French associations on the subject. Dealing with the cultivation of tropical orchids but also present for the preservation of French orchids, the association publishes Orchidophile, a quarterly newsletter. Its format has recently expanded to highlight a generous iconography . The subscription is not conditional on membership of the SFO and allows consultation of the archives (a hundred issues already online out of 200). Having completed the digitization of these archives for the association, I think I can say that it is a mine of knowledge on the subject which has little equivalent elsewhere. The French federation of orchid lovers recently joined the SFO in order to unite their resources on common projects. https://sfo-asso.fr/ https://sfo-asso.fr/publications/lorchidophile/ https://ffao-asso.jimdofree.com/ Wild orchid One of the missions of the FFO is to enable orchid populations to be monitored both geographically and temporally. For many years now, Wild Orchis, through a collaboration of volunteers, both in running the site and in collecting data, has enabled this dynamic monitoring. https://www.orchisauvage.fr/index.php

Epipactis microphylla. Epipactis à petites feuilles. Small leaved helleborine. Undergrowth plant with small, short, thin leaves. The flowers are also small, as long as you can see them, because they can be self-pollinating...and not open. In fact, you go directly from the bud to the seed capsule. When they open (in the evening), the flowers give off a noticeable vanilla-scented fragrance. In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge

Himantoglossum hircinum. Orchis bouc. Lizard orchid. The orchid is common in almost all departments and flowers between May and June. A little earlier sometimes in some years. It is generally a large, robust orchid that likes calcareous soils and is often found on slopes. It gets its name from a sometimes musky odor, but often the scent is light or absent. The English more accurately call it "lizard orchid" because of its very characteristic oversized and sometimes twisted labellum. Click on the photos to enlarge

Epipactis muelleri. Epipactis de Müller. Mueller's helleborine. The flower is typical of Epipactis in its shape with petals and sepals of the same whitish/greenish colour. The hypochile is dark brown in colour. Like all Epipactis, it flowers in June/July in semi-shade. It can also be found on the side of the road at high altitudes. In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge

Pseudorchis albida. Orchis miel. Small white orchid. An orchid that loves altitude and cool climates: We will find it from 500 m in the Alps, the Pyrenees and sometimes the Massif Central, Jura and Vosges. Elsewhere, we will find it in Northern Europe or in Russia. One of a kind. A medium-sized plant (between 10 and 30 cm), it grows in meadows or at the edge of high-altitude lakes. Quite easy to identify and generally spotable within the vegetation, it develops a variable inflorescence of approximately 10 to 50 flowers. Click on the photos to enlarge

Anacamptis papilionacea. Orchis papillon. Pink butterfly orchid. Where to find it ? Clic on the map and connect to Orchis sauvage, FFO-Fédération France Orchidées The Butterfly Orchid is a large orchid that generally lives in colonies around the Mediterranean. Confusion with other species is almost impossible. The leaves are short, sheathing and not spotted. Petals and sepals are finely veined. The serrated labellum is more or less curved. It can be narrow and plain to very wide and finely striated: we are then on the spectacular "Grandiflora" variety. Its color is generally lighter than the other floral parts. Click on the photos to enlarge

Orchis anthropophora. Orchis homme pendu. Man orchid The Hanging Man Orchid is part of the Orchis genus, which has largely been stripped of many species now classified in the Anacamptis or Dactylorhiza genera. It was part of the Aceras genus, which now has no representatives in France. Orchis are tuberous orchids, usually having two which gave them their Greek name Orchis which means testicle. One of the tubers allows the growth of the plant while the second forms during this same period and will replace the original tuber gradually withered the following year. If we were to dig up an orchid (which I of course prohibit), we would therefore find the tuber of the year more or less withered, the tuber in the making for the future season and sometimes an old one totally withered from the previous year. Orchids are fairly tall plants (20 to 60 cm), rather robust and easily spotted in meadows, wastelands or light undergrowth. The preferred soils are generally calcareous or marly and rather dry. The sepals and lateral petals are united to form a "helmet" while the central petal (labellum) offers a fairly complex shape that varies from one species to another. Three Orchis are quite close morphologically and "coloristically": Orchis militaris (Military Orchis), Orchis purpurea (Purple Orchis) and Orchis simia (Monkey Orchis). Hybridizations are therefore possible that will not allow a certain identification. Of a color where green dominates, but with yellow and a little purple tints, it is generally not very colorful. Its labellum is long and narrow, a bit like a silhouette whose legs and arms hang down along the body, hence its name "hanging man" in French and "Man orchid" in English. It likes drained limestone soils and is often found on small slopes, edges of paths, embankments, rarely on forest paths but sometimes on the edge of woods. It hybridizes easily with other Orchis (military, purple or monkey). Present in many departments (except Brittany), it flowers between the end of April and the end of June depending on the region and altitude. It is one of the most common orchids in France. Click on the photos to enlarge

Neottia nidus-avis. Neottie nid d'oiseau. Bird's nest orchid. Orchid rather easy to find in the eastern part of the territory but rarer in the west. This plant does not like light and is most often found on the edges of undergrowth or on shaded slopes. Its name comes from its fine, tangled roots. It is said to be a parasite but it draws its subsistence from fungi and therefore from an underground association. As it has an air of resemblance to the orobanches which are themselves parasitic plants, the confusion persists. Sometimes solitary, often in duo and sometimes in larger colonies, the orchid flowers in May, June and until July at altitude (up to 2000 meters). Click on the photos to enlarge

Neotinea ustulata. Orchis brûlé. Burnt orchid. (L.) A beautiful little orchid whose labellum shape vaguely resembles the Purple Orchid (Orchis purpurea ) from a distance. But upon closer observation, the differences quickly become apparent. The plant measures between 10 and 30 cm and bears a variable inflorescence of tiny helmet-shaped flowers (sepals and petals join together to form a hood over the labellum). The labellum is white, speckled with small purple dots, while the hood is purple, varying in intensity. This orchid can be found across much of the country, except in northern France, and flowers from May to early July, depending on region and altitude (up to 2000 m). It can be abundant or rare depending on the biotope, and quickly disappears if the surrounding vegetation becomes too dense, as it prefers short-grass meadows. There is a subspecies or variety (Neotinea ustulata var. aestivalis ) that flowers in July, mainly in the Alps, and is said to be taller, with a more developed flowering spike. It's not easy to determine whether this is truly a distinct variety or simply a late flowering form of the type species, as there are no known sites where both types bloom at different times. Having observed plants in bloom in July in Savoie (where N. ustulata usually flowers in May in other French departments), I still cannot tell them apart! Morphologically, there is no obvious difference — even though N. ustulata var. aestivalis is sometimes described as “taller,” one can find equally tall individuals of the type species elsewhere. The mountain climate and altitude may also explain the later blooming time. However, in the Essonne region, N. ustulata can be observed in May, and the species or its variety aestivalis blooms in nearby Seine-et-Marne (just 25 km away) from mid-June — with a time gap of nearly six weeks, despite nearly identical climate and altitude. This would seem to support the reality of a variety with a delayed flowering period. The flowers of the aestivalis variety also appear slightly more robust. Notably, its blooming is highly irregular from year to year (a ratio of 1 in 10 at least), which is not the case for N. ustulata , which flowers abundantly and consistently in May. Late spring weather events may explain this irregularity. Still, this is the only population known in the area and is highly localized. Does a temporally shifted flowering in such a micro-population justify naming it a separate variety ? Click on the photos to enlarge

Découvrez Ophrys scolopax Ophrys becasse sur Orchidée-photo.com Ophrys philippi. Ophrys de Philippe. Philippe's ophrys. (Grenier) The description of Philippe's Ophrys dates back to 1859, but it was initially considered a hybrid of Ophrys scolopax x Ophrys aranifera. The species is rare and was overshadowed for many years before being "rediscovered" by Pierre-Michel Blais, the current cartographer of the Var. It is apparently the rarest endemic ophrys in France, with only a handful of locations known, solely in the southern part of the Var department. Click on the photos to enlarge